Commercialisation of university patents

An ‘Entrepreneurial University’ engages with industry through various knowledge transfer practices and seeks to commercialise its research. As universities become more entrepreneurial, there is a sharp increase in patenting by universities but only a small proportion of these patents were ever commercialised, which represents a significant waste of resources. The primary aim of this book is to identify the factors that promote and/or hinder patent exploitation, to assist in decisions of which inventions to patent. The study then uses qualitative methods incorporating a case study approach. The patent portfolio from the University of Strathclyde is used as the case study. This study finds that whether a patent is commercially exploited, and the way in which it is exploited is influenced by three main factors: (i)the inventors, their characteristics and motivations. (ii) the characteristics and nature of the technologies (scope, stage), and (iii) the TTOs’ resources and a due diligence system, or the lack of them.